Bodies found

Several dead in factory fire in South Korea

Around 20 people died in a major fire at a South Korean factory on Monday.(Bild: AP/Hong Ki-won)

Around 20 people have died in a major fire at a factory in South Korea. Most of the victims were foreign workers. Many of them were trapped in the multi-storey building, the fire department reported.

They had tried to reach the workers after the fire broke out. Initially, there was talk of at least one death. A short time later, however, rescue workers found the bodies of around 20 people. They fear that the number could rise. A total of 23 people were thought to be missing.

On Monday, around 20 people died in a major fire at a South Korean factory.(Bild: AP/Hong Ki-won)

The burnt-down building(Bild: AFP/APA/Yonhap)

Emergency services(Bild: AFP/APA/Anthony Wallace)

Extinguishing work(Bild: AFP/APA/Yonhap)

Explosions in the building
Several people were also injured. South Korean television showed flames and thick clouds of smoke coming out of the building. According to reports, there were several small explosions in the burning factory. The fire broke out on Monday morning, the cause of the fire was initially unclear.

Lithium batteries are manufactured at the factory in the city of Hwaseong.